Templar Effect
by donamatter
Summary: The result of the Templars dominating Earth, politically, commercially and militarily. The replication of First Civilisation artefacts by Abstergo Industries saw the first ship on Mars in the later quarter of the 21st century where they discovered the Prothean archive. The first contact between Turian and human panned out far different with the Templars in control. Protect and win.
1. Origins

**Authors note**

This is the first of three revised chapters, I'll be re-writing the chapters after the third to make for a more cohesive story. The old flashbacks are gone and more interesting/grounded ones are in their place. Please comment your thoughts on the new revised versions, storyline wise they aren't different until post chapter three, anything from chapter one through three is just edited better grammatically and punctually.

'The design is somewhat reminiscent of the archive we found on Mars.'

The scientist pointed out points of interest on the holographic image of the dual pronged device.

'So these Protheans. We're they the ones who built it?' asked the man next to him.

'From what we know, it's hard to say. It's more than likely though.'

A man in a navy uniform walked out of the shadows. He rubbed a gold ring up and down his ring finger and rubbed his thumb over a ruby cross imbedded in it.

'Does it have a name?'

'The only information we've been able to recover along with the schematics were the words, Mass and relay.'

'Mass Relay?'

'My head engineers theorize it could be related to the Mass drives discovered in the archive.'

'I'll inform the Grand Master, he'll be the one to pass down judgment.'

The scientist nodded and the broad man disappeared back into the shadows in silence. The ghostly glow of the orange display shimmered over the puzzled scientist and as he walked away the display shut down and the room felt silent; black and silent.

**Three Months later  
S.S.V Juno**

The ship seemed to sit still in the darkness, only visible by the pulsing gold veins running through its hull. In the vast expanse of black a small blue orb shone in the distance, growing brighter as the ship drew closer.

'We'll be in IFF range in 3 minutes,' said the pilot.

His hands hovered over two circular seals with degree angles projected over them, controlling lateral and non-lateral thrust. The semi-circular bridge centered on a round holo-table with an image of the Mass Relay projected over it.

'Are we totally sure the ship isn't going to implode when we hit the relay?' asked the ships first officer.

His navy uniform trimmed with gold stuck out from the white lab coats around him. The Red Cross on the uniforms left breast pad was something all the uniforms bore, the symbol of power and authority.

'All of the simulations we have conducted suggest the drive we have engineered will broadcast a Prothean IFF, allowing us safe passage through the relay,' explained a young scientist.

The round door leading onto the bridge slid across and a tall, broad man walked onto the bridge with an aura of order emanating from him. He wore the ring of a Master Templar on his ring finger and looked like Goliath himself.

'Master Grissom, how went the meeting with the Grand Master?'

'Well thank you. You must be Hackett, my new first officer?'

Hackett shook Grissom's hand. Their uniforms matched in every way except for the Templar cross on either of Grissom's shoulders. Hackett noticed the leather gauntlet on Grissom's left forearm, underneath it was a steel blade for silent killing; something Hackett longed for.

'Yes, sir. I've just arrived.'

Grissom stood at the tables end looking out of the panoramic viewport at the closing mass relay in astonishment.

'Such a strange piece of technology. Weightless space travel? Who would've thought?'

'An amazing feat. It's pushed our technology forward decades,' added Hackett.

'More like centuries,' said another scientist.

'Are we ready?' asked Grissom.

'The last of the ice has been collected and Sol station have successfully brought the relay online,' replied the scientist at Grissom's left.

Thin metal rings revolved around a pulsing blue core of element zero. The arms extending outward seemed to pulse white in sync with the pulse of the core.

'We are green to hit the relay. Beginning final approach, sending Prothean IFF now,' announced the pilot as he maneuvered the ship to curve around in front of the relay.

The massive, ancient device dwarfed the Juno like a human to an ant. The bridge fell silent as the crew were enthralled by the enormity of it.

'How will we know if the IFF is accepted?' asked Hackett.

'We'll be jumped,' replied one of the oldest of the three scientists.

A sudden blue field encompassed the ship and the velocity speeds on the pilots console began to climb exponentially. The matte black abyss turned into a convulsing tunnel of light. The velocity meter fizzed like fat on a frying pan as the speeds they were travelling at exceeded its limit. Suddenly the tunnel exploded into a new, unexplored system.

'Analysis?' asked Hackett.

'Just as we expected. The relay is exactly the same as ours.'

'Any idea where we are?'

A map of the Milky Way galaxy came up over the table showing their location, the Arcturus stream; 37 light years from Earth.

'That is truly remarkable.'

**12 years later**

The newly named Arcturus prime relay pulsed bright and a series of vessels thumped into the system. The 5 kilometer wide station sat in empty space, 30,000 kilometers from the tip of the relay. The fresh Black mirrored hull of the SSV Aconcagua reflected the ancient light of the stars. The 3 kilometer long Archimedes class ship was fresh from space dock at Arcturus station and ready for its first deep space assignment. The ship past off the inbound fleets port side continued onto pass the mass relay.

'You nervous Newton?' asked Officer Reid

'No sir. It's a funny feeling to be on such a big mission,' replied Lieutenant Newton.

'We jump in, activate the relay and hit it. Simple as that,' smiled Reid.

'You really think it will be that simple?' wondered Newton.

'Of course not.'

Newton smirked as the ships Jump core wound up and they jumped into a rush of light flowing over the ship. The triangular hull of the ship orbited around a massive sphere with glowing gold circles at either of its poles and matching gold veins running around it.

'It's a relatively short jump, it shouldn't take us long,' said Reid.

'Tell me again why we don't have any support ships?'

'The Aconcagua was built to operate independently. Its state of the art point defense systems and energy shields give us the same effectiveness as a small pursuit fleet,' replied Reid.

'You say that like we need the weaponry and shields.'

'The galaxy is massive, who knows what could be lying around the next corner,' smirked Reid.

The jump core wound down and the ship fell into a new and alien system. The Pilot and the lieutenants that flanked him began scanning the system for a Mass relay. The long range sensors sounded off in an echoing pinging sound. The sensors suddenly began to flicker and fault as they entered into an energy cloud.

'Adjust the sensors to scan for large element zero signatures.'

The navigations officer adjusted the sensors to a lower frequency to reduce the amount of interference and an element zero signature blipped into existence on the screen.

'Got it. 3 AU's off our starboard bow.'

Reid switched the holo-table on and the signature appeared as a pulsing blue dot. Suddenly the whir of a siren rang through the ship. Newton jumped at the sudden clang of the echoing siren.

'Report!' cried Reid over the siren.

'The energy cloud is starting to eat away the hull!,' cried the science officer.

'Raise the shields. And turn that damn alarm off!'

A series of golden hexagons built a spherical shield around the ship before becoming transparent.

'Maximum sub light to the relay,' ordered Reid.

'Yes, sir. ETA is 1 hour.'

**50 minutes later**

'I can't believe they put you out here after that,' sighed Reid.

'It wasn't a bad bleed…'

'A bleed is a bleed. That kind of side effect from animus training can cause lifelong debilitating issues.'

The animus program had been adapted and advanced since the fall of the Assassin. Most Animi are small devices such as eyewear for live simulation training for Alliance and certain ones are large tubular cases used for long range communications.

'Officer Reid, we've just cleared the energy cloud and are registering another element zero signature about 100,000 kilometers off our aft,' came a voice over the rooms comm.

'I'm on my way,' replied Reid.

He grabbed Newton's arm and yanked him onto his feet. Newton looked at his commander in bewilderment.

'Your letting me stay on active duty?'

'You're my first officer. I'll break'ya in kid,' smiled Reid.

The door to the bridge rolled over and they walked onto the bridge. The small blue dot pulsed, slowly moving in seemingly lifeless planet.

'What is it?' asked Newton.

'Probably an asteroid. Ignore it. Are we ready to activate the relay?'

'Doctor Marcel is priming the activation key now,' replied a lieutenant.

Reid and Newton stood at either side of the holo-table watching the relay draw closer. Marcel stood on the starboard side of the bridge at a console.

'We can send the key anytime now,' he announced.

'Send it now,' ordered Reid.

The white lights along the relay began to pulse to life and the rings around the glowing blue orb began to move.

Suddenly a hollow knock rang through the ship and by chance Reid caught sight of the small blue dot disappearing from the map.

'What just happened?' asked Reid.

'Residual thermal signature points to the activation of a Prothean FTL drive,' explained Marcel.

'Protheans?'

Reid looked at Newton with a look of astonishment. They hadn't encountered any Protheans on the dozens of planets they had catalogued, none that were alive. For all intents and purposes the Protheans were extinct. Suddenly the sound arose again and the small dot re-appeared a mere 20,000 kilometers off their aft.

'Tactical analysis!' cried Newton in a spur of adrenaline.

'500 meters in length, several Prothean mass accelerator cannons and kinetic shields,' replied Marcel.

'Raise shields,' ordered Reid.

'Already up, sir.'

An image of a long ship with small segmented wings protruding from the main body and thick metallic rods extending from the bow of it. The ship suddenly shook, a loud crash echoed through the ship before the alarm began to ring again.

'Their firing, shields are holding steady!'

'Turn that damn alarm off!' yelled Reid.

The alarm stopped and another explosion shook the ship ever slightly. The shields absorbed the explosions but some of the residual shock made it through.

'What's our play?' asked Newton.

'Let's break into their ships database,' thought Reid.

'We've never used the Prothean virus before.'

'What is there to it? Upload it, wait for the data to upload and hot tail it out of here.'

Reid nodded to Marcel to send the virus. The ship rattled again, Marcel sent the virus and watched it barge through fire walls and infest the enemy's database like rapidly spreading roots. Marcel gasped at the rapid file recovery and as the completion toggle filled and flashed green Marcel paused.

'Data received and archived,' he announced.

'That was fast? Helmsman, get us out of here.'

**Later that day**

Three white silhouettes formed into Officer Reid, Master Grissom and Master Hackett. Their gridded silhouettes turned into their suede blue uniforms lined with gold cotton. The brown leather gauntlets on the Masters left forearms signified their supremacy over all others.

'Officer Reid, Master Hackett; I'm glad to see you both again,' greeted Grissom.

'Likewise,' replied Hackett.

'I trust the data we recovered was put to good use?'

Reid was no stranger to Master Templar oppression. The rings they wore were Eden tech; able to bend the mind of those around them to do their bidding.

'Of course. The data was in an alien language but luckily we found a reference key in the Prothean archive, linked to a young race called Turians.'

'What else do we have on them?' asked Reid.

'Everything. Deployment information, ship statistics. Even the location of a large space station they call the Citadel.'

A fourth silhouette began to form, taking the shape of a tall and broad man. As his image clarified the breath in Reid's lungs was sucked out in the blink of an eye. The man's chestnut skin was scarred and his head was covered in thick black hair, combed back into a short mullet. His uniform was different to all the others. Black suede with the red Templar cross on the left breast plate.

'A Marshall?'

'My name is Marshall David Anderson, use it,' snarled Anderson.

'You're to link up with the second fleet commanded by Master Drescher, there Marshall Anderson will be transferred to your ship,' explained Grissom.

'And then?'

'And then you will await further orders from us, understand.'

'Yes Masters.'

The simulation shut down in a flurry of grids and fragmented shapes to turn into an open square room off the bridge. Reid turned around and walked out of the room onto the bridge. Marshalls were war assets created by severe genetic modification to hollow out their bones and reinforce them with a light weight Titanium – Tungsten alloy. Light as a feather but stronger than steel.

'How did the convening go?' asked Newton.

'A little different,' replied Reid.

Reid undid the top button on his jacket leant on the holo-table as sweat poured from his pores; his life just got a whole lot more complicated


	2. By the Blade

'Tell me Anderson. What do you feel?'

The deep rasping voice of the Doctor echoed through his head like a sharp razor slicing through his brain. His body burned hotter than a sun and the sweat oozed from his pours, coating his skin in a glossy glare.

'Pain…I feel…Pain.'

'Good. Now control it, don't let it control you.'

The burning stabbed at his spine. He struggled against the clamps, desperately trying to fight his way out of it. The old, wrinkled face of the Doctor burned on his retinas like a tattoo; there forever. His lungs rasped and he rose up in his bed, lathered in sweat and out of breath. His chest pounded up and down in a frenzy. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and calmed himself, taking in deeper breaths. He looked at the scars along his arms, the augmentation was very specific. The material coated over his bones was very strong but was sometimes rejected by the body; the result was the death of the subject.

'Marshal Anderson. Report to mission command.'

The voice of the ships UI (Utility Intelligence) echoed over the small compartments speaker system. Anderson stood up and walked to the end of the compartment where a tin mannequin stood. On the mannequin was his Templar armor. Templar armor was one of the few things in the alliance made from all human resources. The armor was Titanium armor over boiled leather. He strapped the armor to his body. The armor covered areas with vital organs and arteries: Chest, torso, arms, thighs and calves. He shrugged into a grey jumpsuit, covering everything but his arms. A black hood coat sat in the back of a chair and on the floor beside it were pair of black boots. He shrugged into the coat and buttoned up the boots. Opened a rectangular box on his desk and removed his hidden blade.

The small stealth ship hummed through the darkness towards Raguel, one of seven colonies populated by humanity. Mission command was a small area off to the side in the cargo bay. Master Drescher had taken command of the ship temporarily before heading back to the second fleet. Stealth ships used human computer systems as Precursor technology emitted excess photonic heat. The ships precursor drive was encased in a mirror room which masks its heat emissions.

'Master Drescher, Marshal Anderson reporting.'

Drescher turned around and shook Andersons hand with a firm grip.

'Let's get down to business.'

The screen behind him displayed a man in orange, black and white uniform. The uniform was familiar to Anderson; Cerberus. After the decimation of their order the Assassins fell back behind a company they named Cerberus. Cerberus has an anonymous leader known as the illusive man that is if it's a man.

'What are assassins doing on Raguel?'

'Cerberus has been growing, they've started making small raids on remote mining operations and Exo-colonies.'

'They're getting bold,' replied Anderson.

'Exactly. His name is mentor Emil Aucaman, German mother, native American father,' explained Drescher.

'A skilled combatant, it's going to be hard to sneak up on him.'

'I have faith in you Marshall Anderson, may the father guide you.'

**Alpha Centauri  
Raguel, Haven city**

Haven city sat on the banks of the Amadeus River, sprawling for several miles along the coast of the sapphire sea. Cerberus have made their main base in an unknown location but their Assassin leadership have set up new bureaus across the seven colonies. Assassins had been relatively absent from the public eye since the Templars assumed control over Earths governments and armed forces.

Anderson stood on top of the Haven city spire, looking over the glimmering coastal city as the chilled sea air swirled around him. He slid a grey ring onto his ring finger and a flicker of green appeared over his body then disappeared. The world around him exploded into a thermal image. Small blurs of heat in a cold blue background replaced the shimmering city. His vision changed back on command, he took a pick axe like weapon from its holster flipped around it in his hands a couple of times before holding it firmly. He stepped off the side of the building and slammed the short, sharp claw on the back of the weapon into the metal framing of the massive window.

The room inside was clear so he smashed through the window, the buildings power controls were on the console at the center of the room along with its security protocols. Turning the power off would make the assassin mentor suspicious, a suspicious assassin wasn't a setback he needed. Instead he deactivated the buildings security UI letting him move through the building without the risk of detection by cameras or facial recognition systems. Marshals operate as secret as possible, hence the Marshal oath: 'Unseen, Unheard, and Unconditional.'

His thermal vision pinged a gold blur, representing Mentor Aucaman. His target was about 4 floors below him, surrounded by other red heat signatures. He entered into a small stairwell leading to a security door locked by magnets. He reached into a small leather pouch on his belt, took out a small round electro magnet and stuck it to the lock. The door clicked open, a Cerberus agent strutted past catching sight of Anderson as he opened the door. Anderson's hidden blade slid between the guards third and fourth rib, impaling his heart. He placed him behind the door, out of sight. He sneaked along the wall and another agent patrolled the hall around the corner. As the guard reached the corner Anderson swung the longer blade of the pick axe through the guard's neck. He let the body fall on him and pulled it around the corner. The long window lining the right wall seemed to shine a spot light on the entrance to the meeting room. The voices inside the room grew closer and the large oak door clunked open as a group of Cerberus ring leaders walked out.

'Holy god,' he huffed.

He was here to kill one Assassin mentor. He nor the alliance had no idea that the ring leaders of the Cerberus operation on Raguel would be here.

He peaked around the corner to see the five men, including Aucaman heading towards the elevator. The four ring leaders would be easy, Aucaman however is a different story. Anderson's knuckles flushed white as he clenched hard on his axe. He reached behind him and pulled a pistol from the back of his belt. The barrel was split in two down the center with red prongs lining the inside. He rose it up and slid out from the corner. His hand followed his eyes and slithers of metal travelling at near light speeds ruptured internal organs with an echoing clang. The Cerberus ring leaders fell around Aucaman; his pale white robes stuck out like a sore thumb. The final leader fell as his stomach exploded in a volcano of blood.

Anderson slid the pistol into its holster on the back of his belt and swapped his axe into his right hand. The white robes Aucaman wore shifted around him as he turned to face Anderson.

'Mentor Aucaman, you are hereby under arrest according to Alliance law. Failure to comply is punishable by death,' announced Anderson.

'I will not comply with you. Templar.'

Anderson walked towards him, readying his axe to strike him down as quick and painless as possible. A slash across the throat would be relatively clean but a blow through the skull would be quick and painless but messy. Aucaman stood perfectly still as Anderson moved closer. Aucaman's calm demeanor made Anderson nervous. He hadn't seen anyone face death so calmly before.

'Are you afraid?'

'Death does not frighten me.'

Anderson stood at the edge of the blood pool he had created, the carpet squelched as his boots compacted the blood soaked carpet. He stopped half a meter from Aucaman and the assassin's facial features became visible. His small narrow nose and thin mouth seemed out of proportion to the large chiseled face he had.

'Any final words?' asked Anderson.

'Nothing is true and everything is permitted.'

The famous Maxim of the assassin. A Maxim that they swore to abide by but yet every single one of their tenets had to be broken to be an Assassin. A cult of hypocritical nomads, nothing more than a rat in the walls of the Templar construct. Anderson rose his axe over his head and brought it back down. In a mere blink the Assassin drew his hidden blades and blocked Andersons hit. Aucaman kicked Anderson in the gut, sending Anderson to the ground and losing his axe. Anderson flipped backward onto his feet and drew his pistol. The fast assassin slammed his fist into Andersons left rib cage. He gasped for air, his lungs clawing for air and his heart raged in a flurry of thirst.

Aucaman rammed the hidden blades on either of his arms through Anderson's chest. His wounds slurped and popped as he tried to breathe, blood soaked his clothes and in a dying moment his heart thudded for the final time.

'The age of the Templar is over, it's time for the assassin to return and show this imperium true peace and prosperity,' preached Aucaman

'We're doing just fine thanks.'

A long golden sword crunched through Aucaman from behind. Aucaman gargled and coughed as his blood bubbled around his mouth. The sword pulled back causing Aucaman to crumple. Master Grissom stood in his white vest with a large Templar cross taking up the front and a boiled leather belt around his waist. A squad of Alliance medics tended to Anderson, one lifted him onto a stretcher and another checked his heartbeat.

'He's dead sir.'

'Get him on a breather and restart his heart; we can't lose him.'

The bright lights burned like suns in Anderson's eyes and his chest throbbed with spikes of pain.

'He's regaining consciousness,' said Doctor Chakwas.

A young woman leant over him in a white lab coat and then Master Grissom's creased face came into view at Anderson's right.

'That was reckless, you could've got yourself killed,' harped Grissom.

'If you don't mind sir, I'd like to hold off on the de-brief,' mumbled Anderson.

'Don't worry. I'll give you the kicking you deserve when you're back on your feet,' smiled Master Grissom.

'Thank you sir. I'm looking forward to it.'

**After one week of recovery**

Anderson forced a smile and sat down across the desk from Grissom. His legs were weak and his arms were uncoordinated, something had broken his body's coordination.

'Good morning sir.'

'You do realize I should have you have you hauling logs in an Animus sim right now.'

'Actually I'm curious why I'm not. I feel completely uncoordinated.'

'Your heart stopped. Most of your extremities were starved of oxygen for nearly a minute. A little Animus training and we'll have you back in the hunt soon enough.'

There wasn't a single person in the alliance who liked the Animi training program. The reality of the simulations was unbelievable. However in order to get his body back in form he would have to work harder than ever.

'But on a serious note. That was truly reckless and outright stupid what you did.'

'Not a total waste though.'

'No. You managed to eradicate the key Cerberus leaders on Raguel.'

Grissom pulled a drawer and produced a grey folder with [CONFEDENTIAL] stamped across it. Grissom handed it to Anderson with a cheeky grin on his face.

'The second fleet is being called to the Castellus system in the Apien crest.'

'Never heard of it.'

'I wouldn't expect you would have. 12 hours ago the SSV Arcaragua whilst activating a dormant relay came under attack by a small ship owned by a humanoid species called the Turians,' explained Grissom.

'A real living alien race?'

Anderson looked at the images of the scaled humanoid aliens in their oddly shaped suits of armor.

'Yes. A Prothean data worm recovered a flash copy of the ships data core, once it was unpacked and translated we learned quite a bit about these Turian folk. They hail from a planet they call Palaven in the Trebia system.'

'Then what are we doing in the Castellus system?'

'We're going to knock on the Turians front door.'


	3. Retaliation

**Trebia system, Palaven**  
**Cipritine city**

The walled in city of Cipritine towered into the sky like a pyramid, buildings growing size from the out skirts to the tallest spire in the center. The Primarchs of Palaven and the Turian colonies sat around a massive oval table. Their mandibles twitched as they spoke to one another and their metallic exoskeleton moved with them like organic body armor. Primarch Fedorian locked his two three fingered hands together and straightened his back. As Primarch of Cipritine he was authorized to lead this discussion. Admiral Irix Coronati and another armored Turian sat at the end of the table in silence.

'This meeting will come to order!' yelled Fedorian.

The room fell silent as everyone focused on Fedorian. Primarch Fedorian had amassed himself a revered reputation; the only thing he was guilty of was being a born leader.

'This emergency council has been called in light of recent events at relay 314. Approximately 19 hours ago the Vibirian encountered an excessively large ship activating relay 314, an unmapped relay. I'll let the ships commanding officer, Commander Aetdros, explain the rest.'

The Primarchs along the table all turned their heads to the Commander and the Admiral sitting beside him.

'Firstly I have a question. Why was a cruiser out in the middle of nowhere?' asked one of the Primarchs.

'The Vibirian was searching the system for a reported Krogan insurgence base. We assigned a cruiser for the assignment on the premise that it could seek out the base and destroy it. If we had dispatched a scout frigate we would' then had to called in the cruiser,' explained the Admiral.

'Thank you for clearing that up Admiral. Let us continue, Commander.'

The Commander nodded and leant forward in his chair. His long and thick fingers tapped on the table as his nerves nagged at him.

'There was a massive energy cloud on the outer rim of the system. The ship is thought to have come from the cloud but my navigations officer neglected to mention it. He raised the alarm as they began to activate the relay. I acted on pure instinct and ordered a strike on the ship in light of the Rachni incident.'

The Commander realized the error of his ways now, the ship was far too large and shouldn't have been attacked without notifying his superiors first; he was simply afraid. Turians were taught not to fear anything, but the dark almost invisible hull of the ship seemed to emanate power and domination.

'Upon attack the ship just sat there, not doing anything. Then it suddenly sprang to life and jumped through the relay. It was a primary relay, capable of jumping to multiple locations so we did not pursue it in case of endangering ourselves.

Rear Admiral Ontarioux glanced over some communication logs from the defence fleet at Essenus. Their comm traffic was normal up until a few minutes ago after failing to report in.

'Still nothing?' he questioned the communications Lieutenant.

'Nothing sir, I'm not even getting static,' replied the Lieutenant.

Ontarioux hadn't seen anything like this before, for there to be nothing but static on the channel the ships communication relays were either offline or destroyed. He hoped it wasn't the latter, Captain Hirus was a good friend.

'Contact the Primarchs, we may have an invasion on our hands?'

'Who would invade us?' questioned the young Lieutenant.

'I really hope it's not who I think it is.'

**Orbit of Essenus**

'Captain Hirus is being brought aboard Master Grissom,' assured the communications officer.

'Excellent, Officer Reid you are clear to jump!'

Reid and Anderson stood on the bridge of the Aconcagua overlooking the devastation they had caused, mangled sections of hull plating drifted from Turian ships that had been ripped apart.

'Copy that Master, we'll be underway in just a moment,' confirmed Reid.

'God speed to all of you.'

Reid nodded slightly to Anderson who replied in kind before leaving the bridge, his position here was critical to the mission. He would deploy on the ground with a small team and extract both the Primarch and Admiral Coronati. Reid walked to the holotable across the Newton who was discussing the final plans with the ships head engineer.

'We'll need to keep the drive active for a maximum of 30 minutes, can you do it?'

'It's going to get extremely hot but we can do it,' sighed Engineer Cole.

'Good. We're ready to jump sir.'

'Helm, begin jump to site 01!'

'Aye sir. Course laid in, drive powering up, jumping in 5 seconds.'

The ship whined as the drive powered up and peaked with a brilliant crack, the ship rematerialised in Palaven's low orbit just above Cipritine. The holo-table lit up with an instant scan of Cipritine and identified the cities main tower.

'You're clear to deploy Anderson!'

'Copy that, deploying!'

A pair of thick doors opened along the ships belly and a car-like shuttle dropped out and sped toward the main tower. The cities defences came online, mass accelerator weapons began pummelling the Aconcagua's shields.

'Our priority is the Primarch and the Admiral, everyone else is expendable. If they get in your way don't hesitate to shoot them,' said Anderson.

'Yes, sir!' replied his squad.

The pilot swung the shuttle around to avoid the gun fire all around them. She manoeuvred the shuttle up against a balcony on the main tower.

'Bail out!' she cried.

The shuttles side door lifted up and the squad jumped off onto the balcony, the shuttle quickly retreated down to safety.

'I'll find a safer place to hide, radio in when you need evac,' she said over the comms.

'Copy that, we're moving in.'

Anderson led the squad into a large foyer area, leading up to the chamber of Primarchs. Turian guards entered the foyer from multiple side doors and with no hesitation the squad opened fire. Anderson dived for cover behind a chair before ducking out and taking out a duo of Turians. The energy weapons Anderson's squad carried seem to bypass the Turian's shields and directly impact their armour. It wasn't long before the Turians fell, their armour and weapons inferior to that of the Alliance.

'Reid we're entering the chamber now.'

'Copy that Anderson keep moving, its getting a little warm in here.'

They scaled the stairs to come onto a large open walkway at the end of which was a round door. They jogged along the walkway, before stopping and noticing the swarm of frigates descending upon the Aconcagua. With thunderous claps a small fleet of Alliance frigates jumped in and roared over head, speeding to the Aconcagua's aid.

'33rd Escort Flotilla on station and ready to assist,' said Captain Harrison.

'Captain your timing is impeccable,' replied Reid.

Anderson continued onto the door. It was unsurprisingly locked, numerous mechanisms held it in place and many more identification methods.

'Royle get this door open,' ordered Anderson.

'Yes sir.'

A younger soldier carrying a large pack approached the door and placed the pack on the ground. He hooked the computer on his forearm into a larger data pad and began scanning the door. The screen on his wrist showed at least five bars holding the two sections of the door in place and a series of magnetic clamps.

In the distance the 33rd Flotilla engaged the Turian frigates in a brilliant array of red and blue laser beams. The red beams of the Alliance sliced the opposing frigates open like tin cans, flames spewed from the huge gashes in their hull; frigates spun out of control and collided with buildings in burning orange explosions and spraying debris.

Royle tried his hand at hacking into the doors identification software but his lack of knowledge in the Turian language made it impossible.

'Sir, there is now way I can hack into this door.'

'How thick is it?' asked Anderson.

'About a meter, made of some sort of titanium carbide.'

'Polson plant fission charges at the doors outer rim.'

A broad demolition's sergeant in thick heavy armour and a large metal pack on his back made his way to the door. Royle and Anderson retreated with the rest of the squad to the foyer as Polson placed the charges. The charges were magnetically fitted to the door and equipped with a highly unstable micro fission core. Polson grabbed his pack and rifle then sprinted for the foyer. He flipped the lid on the detonator, and with a nod from Anderson he flicked the switch. The charges detonated in a blue flash, causing the door to collapse in on itself from pure shock.

They moved in as the smoke cleared to find a room full of startled Turian politicians. The Admiral and Aetdros stood up with their side-arms aimed at Anderson. Primarch Fedorian stood up from his seat slowly with twitching mandibles.

'You dare attack us on our home planet?' he snarled.

Anderson ignored the Primarch and proceeded to knock out both the Admiral and Captain. Polson and Gerard picked them up while Royle and Taj guarded the other politicians.

'Primarch Fedorian you're coming with me,' said Anderson.

'Leave this planet or face the wrath of the council you ignorant fool.'

Anderson punched the Primarch hard enough to throw him off balance then cuffed him. The Primarch struggled and groaned as he was walked out of the chamber.

'Targets secure, requesting evac on the towers upper walkway!'

'Copy that shuttle en-route,' replied Lieutenant Lee.

They arrived outside to see the door to the foyer open. A Turian regiment filed out onto the walkway, setting up several firing lines. Taj stopped in his tracks and aimed his rifle toward the Turians, Anderson waved a hand at his side and Taj reluctantly stood down.

'Hand over your hostages, now!' ordered Commander Daestrus.

'Or what?'

They stood there for a few seconds in silence, unsure of what would happen next. Anderson looked to Royle with a cocked eyebrow.

'I don't think they can understand us, the translator must only work one way.'

'Well that's always nice, can you give them one somehow?'

'Turian's use some kind of Omni-tool, if I could upload the translator to the Primarch's he could act as a translator.'

'Do it.'

Royle tapped at the screen on his forearm and held it against the holographic omni-tool on the primarch's arm. With a few more slides and taps Royle looked the Primarch in the eyes.

'Can you understand me now?'

'…Yes…perfectly' stuttered the Primarch.

'Tell these men to stand down,' ordered Anderson.

'Why would I do that? You obviously want me alive.'

'Because if you don't they'll all die.'

'How, you are hilariously out numbered?'

'Shuttle 012, take'em out!'

The shuttle rose up from beneath the walkway and its forward guns fired a barrage of red beams at the Turians. The side door lifted up and they jumped in, the Turian's fired off random shots that bounced off the shuttle like stones. As the door closed the shuttles engines exploded in a pulse of blue, launching them to super sonic speeds.

'Aconcagua this is shuttle 012, approaching at high speed request permission for combat dock?'

'You are clear for combat dock shuttle 012!.'

Reid and Newton stood at the holo-table anxiously. Technicians ran around the bridge patching up fallen wall plating and rewiring broken cables. Another barrage hit the ship and knocked a group of deck hands off their feet.

'We can't take much more punishment,' said Newton wiping the sweat from his brow.

'Shuttle 012 has just completed a combat dock!' cried the comms officer.

'Helm get us out of here!' cried Reid with relief.

The helmsman throttled the engines and activated the jump sequence, the 33rd flotilla formed up with the Aconcagua following it out of the city.

'What's our heading sir?' asked the helmsman.

'Arcturus station, Master Grissom will be waiting.'

With the course laid in and communicated to the 33rd Flotilla they jumped away from Palaven in a great crack, the shockwave turning buildings into flying metal splinters. The jump to Arcturus was long, they had plenty of time on their hands. It was time to get answers, it was time the Turians understood that the human race will not go quietly into the night.


	4. Deliberation: Part one

The massive ring shaped station hung in the darkness, slowly spinning on its axis. Its magnificence however was dwarfed by the Alliance first fleet, a fleet of a few hundred ships capable of subduing whole solar systems. Its flagship, the Mortal Bane, a dreadnought constructed from Titanium and tungsten carbide. Being over ten kilometres in height and almost 20 kilometres long it was the biggest ship ever constructed by man. Grissom stood on its immense circular bridge gazing at a galactic map, a line drawn from Arcturus to an un-explored system.

'Master Grissom … the 33rd scout flotilla and the Aconcagua have just exited FTL,' advised a young crewman.

'Have Reid bring the prisoners aboard under armed guard, give him directions to the brig.'

'Yes Master.'

Grissom rubbed the ruby inlaid ring on his wedding finger, the ring represented his commitment to the cause. Its golden body pulsed with energy, flowing through his veins like a drug. He turned and left the bridge, walking down a near endless corridor toward a series of elevators. One door opened and a pair of deckhands in khaki jumpsuits marched out and continued down the corridor. Grissom stepped onto the elevator as the doors slid shut.

'Override command SigmaTau nine nine.'

With his words the elevator began to descend rapidly down into the ships belly. Within seconds the elevator stopped again and opened to reveal a short corridor ending in a rectangular bulkhead. The door centred on a sphere with golden veins running through it. As Grissom approached it the sphere rolled over to reveal a small indent amongst the veins. He pressed his ring into it and the door broke into segments that retracted with the sphere into the wall. The room behind it was dark and featureless, a seemingly endless abyss.

'Master Grissom … what brings you here?,' the voice came from deep in the darkness, formless yet carrying so much weight.

'Father, Reid has returned with the Turian captives.'

'This is excellent news, the capture of the Turian Primarch should draw the council's attention.'

'What's our play?'

'Master Drescher will be linking up with you at Arcturus, once the council make contact you need to negotiate a meeting on the citadel. If our scouts are correct the first fleet severely out numbers the citadel defence fleet, take the fleet with you but leave them at the relay.'

Grissom had imagined the citadel fleet as being a testimony of power and strength, yet the first fleet outnumbered it. His doubt was soon consumed by determination, this would be the moment humanities superiority became known across the galaxy.

'Understood sir, what happens if negotiations go south?'

'Then you have explicit orders to return to the fleet and wipe the citadel and its defence fleet from existence.'

'Yes father, it shall be done.'

'This is a great day for humanity Master Grissom, do not fail me.'

**Meanwhile…**

Reid marched alongside the captives in full body armour as per prisoner transfer protocol. The Primarch was far calmer than his two subordinates, squirming their shackles like restrained children. The doors of the elevator opened to reveal a short corridor ending in a guard post between two large circular bulk heads. Reid's team stopped with the prisoners as Reid approached the guard post.

'Captain Hannibal Reid here for a prisoner transfer.'

'We've been expecting you Captain, Master Grissom wants them in interogation chamber five,'replied the guard as he pulled back a lever.

The left door opened and they continued in, the guard watched the aliens pass with quivering hands and a sweating brow. Reid looked for a name on the grey walls when he noticed a small alcove to the left with a metal plate jutting out that read (Room Five). Reid stepped into the alcove and punched his access code into the panel beside the door. With a heavy thud the door unlocked and Reid opened it as the others stepped in. Following them in Reid noticed Grissom standing at the rooms end with his arms crossed and a pair of downturned eyebrows. The soldiers sat them down on a long concrete bench facing Grissom.

'Thank you gentlemen, leave us.'

The soldiers turned and passed by Reid to leave the room and re-lock the bulkhead behind them. Reid stood behind the Primarch and bowed his head slightly to Grissom.

'I will not talk!' spat the Admiral.

'You don't need to, all you have to do is listen.'

The Turians seemed to become more attentive at the strange proposition, a screen behind Grissom lit up with an image of a strange creature.

'This is an electronic reconstruction of a fossil found on our home world that pre-dates any known organic life.'

'What is it?' questioned the Primarch.

'I was hoping you could tell me, our forefathers gave it a name but other than that and the estimated age of the fossil we know nothing.'

'What was the name?

'…Leviathan.'

Reid gazed at the image almost in awe of it, its long arrow head like body and arms extending from its lower abdomen seemed so … menacing. The Turians were the same, examining the jagged cuttlefish like body of the creature.

'Master Grissom we are receiving a transmission from an unidentified source,' interrupted a bridge officer.

'Keep them on hold until I'm on the bridge,' ordered Grissom.

Grissom and Reid left the Turians in their cell as the two left the brig and made for the bridge. Reid walked steadily beside Grissom making sure to keep pace and not alter his course. Other officers and deckhands parted to let them through like a ship as the water parted around it. They walked onto the bridge and immediately Grissom walked onto the central platform and nodded to the communications officer across the bridge. A pair of alien figures appeared on the plates in front of Grissom who he immediately recognised from the recovered Turian data.

'Greetings human, I am Councillor Tevos and this is Councillor Valern.'

'I am Master Grissom of the Templar order and this is Captain Reid of the Alliance military.'

'It is a pleasure to meet you both. I'll be honest with you Master Grissom, your recent attack on the Turian home world has caused massive uproar among the citadel races. The Turian councillor Sparatus couldn't be with us at this time, for similar reasons.'

'The so called attack was a routine operation, we captured the three Turians for questioning over their attack at relay 314 that killed sixteen of my people,' insisted Grissom.

'The incident at relay 314 was the Turian Captain acting within galactic law, all dormant relays should be left as such unless authorised by the council,' said Valern entering the conversation.

'That doesn't bring back the sixteen crew that died aboard the Aconcagua. With all due respect councillors a discussion of this magnitude shouldn't be done over a holo-link. I propose a face to face meeting.'

'Agreed, matters such as these require long deliberating talks. We should meet at a neutral location…'

'Not necessary, my ship can be at the Citadel within minutes.'

Tevos seemed surprised that he knew the location of the citadel and that he could reach them in such a short amount of time. Nonetheless she turned slightly and looked at Valern who thought the proposition over for a moment. Eventually Valern nodded and Tevos returned her attention to Grissom.

'We will be awaiting your arrival,' agreed Tevos.

'This is a great day councillors, I will be seeing you very soon.'

The transmission ended and their fluorescent avatars disappeared in a flurry of particles. Grissom stood at the lip of the captain's chair a moment before slowly sitting down. Reid stood beside him silently waiting for someone to say something.

'Master Grissom, Master Drescher is aboard,' informed the communications officer.

'Then bring the fleet to alert status and prepare for Mass Relay jump, we have an appointment with destiny…'


	5. Delibreation: Part two

Primarch Fedorian walked into the small chamber off from the main Atrium where the councilors stood in discussion. Spraratus noticed him first and was indeed quick to get into deep discussion.

'Primarch we have to do something about this, they cannot go unpunished!'

'I agree councilor, something has to be done,' said Fedorian rubbing his wrists.

'What do you mean by that Primarch?' asked Tevos.

'He means wage war with them, like I suggested!'

'No Sparatus, I have seen what they can do. If we go to war with them we would surely lose.'

Sparatus couldn't believe what he was hearing, his own Primarch was siding with the councilors over him. The anger welled in his stomach, how could they believe such things.

'This is outrageous, they deserve to show themselves in war for what they did!'

'Violence is not the answer!' pleaded Tevos.

'Then what do you suggest we do?' retorted Sparatus.

'We should start by calming down!'

The Primarch's voice was clear and sharp, the councilors stopped their bickering. Fedorian knew Sparatus meant well but at times he could be hot headed and perhaps too patriotic.

'My opinion is no doubt the un-popular one among our people, but maybe with time the humans can learn some galactic etiquette from us. If we go to war now, there may be no turning back in their current mind set,' said Fedorian placing a hand on the councilor's shoulder.

'Thank you Primarch, but if you would excuse us we have a hearing to attend.'

The Primarch nodded and stepped away from them trailed Sparatus's disappointed gaze. The walked out onto a semi-circle platform overlooking the Atrium and diagonally below them was the Alliance representatives on a circular landing.

'First and foremost welcome to the citadel and thank you for returning you Turian captives,' greeted Tevos.

'It's an honor to be in such a place, truly magnificent,' said Drescher returning the greeting.

'Let's get straight to the point, you assaulted the Turian home world and did significant damage to the planets Capital city and killed multiple people. What reasons could you possibly have to commit such an act?'

'We have our reasons for the operation on Palaven, sixteen to be precise.'

Drescher led the negotiations, both Grissom and Reid were merely observers standing behind her. The sixteen crew members Reid had lost at Relay 314 ate at him still, he hid it well but the hate he had for the Turians grew with every passing moment.

'Once again Master Drescher, Commander Aetdros was acting within council law. The last time that relay was activated a race of homicidal arthropods attempted to wipe us out,' insisted Valern.

'I understand that but we require killers to be brought to justice, and that's what we did.'

'My people don't appreciate having the Primarch and the Grand Admiral kidnapped from our capital city!' rebutted Sparatus.

The argument kept circling around to the same points and disagreements, soon their deliberating had reduced to Sparatus and Grissom yelling at each other. Trading speeches about honour and integrity.

'Enough!' yelled Tevos, silencing the two.

'Both parties have suffered losses and I am willing to dismiss the incident at relay 314. But you kidnapped two of the Turian hierarchy's three leaders. You invaded their home planet and inflicted significant casualties and damage on the Turian people, we simply cannot let that go unpunished.'

'What would be the penalty for such a thing?' wondered Drescher, reclaiming control from Grissom.

'Penalty? You're lucky the Turian armada aren't sieging your worlds as we speak,' spat Sparatus.

'Councillor Sparatus, calm down! The penalty is a significant sum of reparations, to repair the damages done to the Turian navy and Cipritine.'

Sparatus stood with his arms crossed, the tattered mandibles around his mouth twitching as he resisted the urge to comment. Drescher turned to Grissom and Reid with a confident look about her.

'This is the best outcome we could hope for. Judging by Sparatus' actions the next offer could be exile or war.'

Grissom rubbed his tongue along his teeth as he considered the offer, the objective was to achieve a peaceful resolution to what could have easily ended with war. He nodded in agreement and Drescher turned to face the councillors again.

'We accept.'

'A wise choice human, we will adjourn for now and have the necessary documents drawn up.'

Tevos led the councilors off the platform and into a side door. Grissom, Drescher and Reid walked back down the stairs breathing sighs of relief. They gathered at the fountain smiling at the deal they had just brokered, but beneath the smiles were fears of what might come next.

'Councillor Sparatus obviously wasn't happy about the deal,' noted Reid.

'No, he could prove a problem going forward,' added Grissom.

'Sparatus is the least of our worries if the new rumours coming out of Recon are true.'

Drescher crossed her arms and looked at her feet, thinking about what she had seen. Being the Master in charge of reconnaissance and intelligence brought its perks but also its downfalls. She could still see the ship breaking apart under a bright white explosion, peeling away from itself.

'What news?'

'…The assassin have been rebuilding in the shadows, they've taken root in the Skyllian verge. They destroyed a ship in one of our scout convoys, the second ship barely made it out.'

'So the assassin are back in play, even after the incident on Raguel?'

'It would seem Raguel was just a front, the true ring leaders are still at large and their whereabouts are unknown.'

Sparatus growled with rage his irritation finally becoming too much to bare, fumbling from his mouth like a broken faucet.

'This is too light, you have undermined what this council stands for by giving those infants exactly what they wanted!'

'Sparatus calm down…'

'I will not calm down! I have given this position my heart and soul, I have stood by you both through thick and thin but when my people are under threat you give in … I've seen infant children with more backbone than you two.'

'Councillor Sparatus hold your tongue!' commanded the Primarch from his seat.

Sparatus turned to look at the bandaged Primarch sitting in a bulbous curved chair with a glass of olive liquid sitting on the short table next to him. He couldn't believe the Primarch had caved in, that the man he had idolised broke under the pressure.

'You have no right … you have betrayed us.'

'I have betrayed no-one. I have saved my people, our people, a long and bloody war. If you cannot see that then perhaps you weren't suited for the job after all.'

Sparatus felt something weigh him down, he could feel the scorn of the Primarch weighing on him. In disgrace Sparatus turned and left the room bound for his office. Tevos and Valern sighed a breath of relief as the tension released.

'I've never seen him like this,' noted Tevos.

'I have, only once. It was a long time ago but he'll get over it, don't take anything he had to heart … please,' sighed the Primarch.

'It's hard not to, considering he did just call us spineless.'

'You're telling me he's never called you spineless?'

'Well … not so directly,' noted Valern.

'I know where he is coming from, the humans need to be monitored closely. But we cannot be brash about this, the humans if not smaller in number have proven resourceful and unpredictable. Two ingredients that make a formidable opponent.'

'We'll make them commit to a strict territory and military restriction scheme, that way we can limit their expansion and ship production.'

'That's a start, but I fear there may be more to humanity than they are letting on…'

**Vamshi system  
Skyllian Verge**

Pierce looked down at his feet as the shuttle shuddered to a halt and landed in the stations large hangar. He ran his fingers through his auburn hair to make it hang sideways and took several deep breaths. Standing up he felt his hair drag on the roof and his feet roll as the shuttle set itself door hissed open revealing the bustling hangar, workers welded pieces of plating into the bare skeleton of the hangar, and haulers pulled stacks of steel rods and hull plating. Amongst the chaos Pierce noticed an older man in grey and black uniform approaching, his jaw hidden behind a thick well-groomed beard. His hair was thick but grey like steel and his eyes were a sharp blue, almost like they were looking into your soul.

'You must be Pierce?' he asked with a low voice.

'Yes sir, I was sent here by the academy.'

Pierce pulled a folder from the satchel slung over his shoulder and handed it to the older officer. He opened it and glanced at the first page.

'Welcome aboard soldier, I'm officer Seris, your new mentor.'

Pierce straightened up and as Seris turned to walk Pierce followed him across the hangar and into a wide hallway. More technicians bundled up wires and fitted interior plating over thick titanium struts. The halls seemed to zig zag without going anywhere, the only distinctions of change were map boards and bold orange letters to signify different levels and departments. They entered an elevator and Seris pushed the button corresponding to barracks. Seconds passed and the doors opened again to reveal a large rectangular room decorated with black, orange and white banners. The room was segmented into cubicles filled with beds and lockers, Pierce was led to one at the farthest end with four beds and no people.

'This is where you will be spending your nights, the rest of your team will be along shortly.'

'Thank you sir, if you don't mind me asking, when do I start?'

'Tomorrow, you'll be kitted up and put through the trials.'

Pierce felt the anxiety creeping into his mind, he knew it would be a quick process but a single day? Seris slowly walked to the cubicles entrance before stopping and turning.

'You're not a rookie anymore, you're an assassin. Act like it.'

Seris left before Pierce could straighten his back, and instead he fell back onto the bed with a slight grunt. He'd been training for this, his whole life had been leading up to being here. It was time to take off the training wheels, it was time he became … an Assassin.


End file.
